To provide a context for understanding current race relations and the goals of the civil rights movement, the editors asked distinguished scholars to reflect upon their careers and how personal experiences have influenced their scholarship. They discuss issues such as the growing awareness of racial oppression in the white South, the impact of the Black Power movement on young blacks, and the role of radical parents in shaping a sense of racial justice in their children. These essays provide personal glimpses into the intellectual development of some of the most important historians of the current U.S. experience.